Cloudcroft in Otero County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Trabajando en las Nubes
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Working in the Clouds
Photographed by James Hulse, June 25, 2024
1. Trabajando en las Nubes / Working in the Clouds Marker
Spanish:
Una variedad de trabajos estaba disponibles para los obreros en las Montañas de Sacramento, durante el periodo del ferrocarril maderero, (1898- 1947) incluidos construcción, manteniemiento del ferrocarril, talado de arboles, hacer durmientes para el ferrocarril y madero para las minas en el aserradero de Alamogordo.
El puente de madera tipo Caballete de Cañón Mexicano es uno de los últimos vestigios presentes del Ferrocarril de Alta Montaña de Sacramento y Alamogordo que junto al esfuerzo y trabajo de su gente forman parte de la herencia de este paisaje.
En 1899 The Alamogordo News (el periódico de Alamogordo) reportó que doscientos hombres eran empleados por el aserradero de Alamogordo que fabricaba 100,000 pies de maderos cada 22 horas, con los hombres trabajando en turnos las 24 horas.
El fotógrafo G.E. Miller tomó la fotografia de abajo de obreros mexicanos en un armón en los inicios de 1900. Una cuadrilla típica consistia en 4 o 6 trabajadores que reemplezaban durmientes podridos, arreglaban rieles sueltos y agregaban mas material si se erosionaba.
Images courtesy of Sacramento Mountains Historical Society.
Images courtesy of Virginia Stanbrough.
The name 'Mexican Canyon' probably comes from the Cloudcroft area where mostly New Mexican or Mexican Hispanic people lived.
A variety of jobs were available to laborers in the Sacramento Mountains during the logging railroad period (1898-1947) including construction, railroad maintenance, logging, making railroad ties, and lumber for the mines at the Alamogordo sawmill
The Mexican Canyon Trestle wooden bridge is one of the last vestiges of the Sacramento and Alamogordo High Mountain Railway that, together with the effort and work of its people, is part of the heritage of this landscape.
In 1899, The Alamogordo News (Alamogordo's newspaper) reported that two hundred men were employed by the Alamogordo sawmill that manufactured 100,000 feet of lumber every 22 hours, with the men working in 24-hour shifts.
The photographer G.E. Miller took the photo below of Mexican workers on a railcar in the early 1900s. A typical crew consisted of 4 or 6 workers who replaced rotted ties, fixed loose rails, and added more material if it eroded.
Images courtesy of Sacramento Mountains Historical Society.
Images courtesy of Virginia .
Erected by U.S.
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Hispanic Americans • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1899.
Location. 32° 57.862′ N, 105° 44.896′ W. Marker is in Cloudcroft, New Mexico, in Otero County. It is on U.S. 82, on the right when traveling east. Located at the parking lot of the Mexican Canyon Trestle. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1648 US-82, Cloudcroft NM 88317, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in New Mexico’s Pecos Valley. It is also in the American Southwest. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the Comanchería, and the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A Place of Plenty (here, next to this marker); Cloud-Climbing Railroad (here, next to this marker); A Mountain Excursion (here, next to this marker); Historic Route of the Alamogordo & Sacramento Mountain Railroad
Photographed by James Hulse, June 25, 2024
2. Trabajando en las Nubes / Working in the Clouds Marker
Photographed by James Hulse, June 25, 2024
3. Mexican Canyon Trestle
Credits. This page was last revised on June 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 15, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 255 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 16, 2024, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.
